The Related Discourses
4. Causation
| （三八七）四聖諦 | 9 (387). The Four Noble Truths (8) |
|---|---|
| 如是我聞： 一時，佛住波羅㮈、仙人住處、鹿野苑中。 | 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at the Residence of Sages in the Deer Preserve of Bārāṇasī. |
| 爾時，世尊告諸比丘： 「有四聖諦。 何等為四？ 謂苦聖諦、苦集聖諦、苦滅聖諦、苦滅道跡聖諦。 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “There are four noble truths. What are the four? They are the noble truth of suffering, the noble truth of suffering’s formation, the noble truth of suffering’s cessation, and the noble truth of the path to suffering’s cessation. |
| 「若比丘於苦聖諦已知，已解⋯ 於苦集聖諦已知，已斷⋯ 於苦滅聖諦已知，已證⋯ 於苦滅道跡聖諦已知，已修。 如是比丘無有關鍵，平治城塹，度諸峻難。 名為賢聖，建立聖幢。 | 3. “If a monk has known the noble truth of suffering, then he has understood [suffering] … has known the noble truth of suffering’s formation, then he has ended [its formation] … has known the noble truth of suffering’s cessation, then he has realized [its cessation] … has known the noble truth of the path to suffering’s cessation, then he has cultivated [that path]. In this way, that monk has no barred gate, has leveled off the city moat, and has crossed the dangerous heights. [Liberated from bondage,] he’s called a noble one who has planted the noble flag. |
| 「諸比丘，云何無有關鍵？ 謂五下分結已斷，已知。 是名離關鍵。 云何平治城塹？ 無明謂之深塹。 彼得斷知。 是名平治城塹。 云何度諸嶮難？ 謂無際生死，究竟苦邊。 是名度諸嶮難。 云何解脫結縛？ 謂愛已斷，已知。 云何建立聖幢？ 謂我慢已斷，已知。 是名建立聖幢。」 | 4. “Monks, how does he have no barred gate? It means that he has ended the five lower bonds and has known it. This is called being free of the barred gate. How has he leveled off the city moat? Ignorance is known as the deep moat. He brings it to an end and knows it. This is called leveling off the city moat. How has he crossed the dangerous heights? It means birth and death without end and reaching the final end of suffering. This is called crossing the dangerous heights. How is he liberated from bondage? It means he has ended craving and has known it. How does he plant the noble flag? It means he has ended self pride and has known it. This is called planting the noble flag.”2 |
| 佛說此經已，諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 | 5. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved. |
Notes
- This is sūtra no. 387 in the Taisho edition and no. 550 in Yinshun (T99.2.104c27-5a12). It’s partially parallel with AN 5.71, sharing a very similar set of esoteric analogies for an arhat. [back]
- Compare this commentary with the one found in AN 5.71. Here “no barred gate” (無有關鍵) means ending the five lower bonds; in AN 5.71 this corresponds to P. niraggaḷa (“unbarred”). “Leveled off city moat” (平治城塹) means ending ignorance; in AN 5.71, P. saṅkiṇṇaparikha ("filled-in ditch") means ending rebirth. Ending ignorance instead is the meaning of P. ukkhittapaligha (“lifted crossbar”). “Crossing the dangerous heights” (度諸嶮難) here means ending the suffering of endless rebirths; in AN 5.71, the end of rebirth is represented by P. saṅkiṇṇaparikha (“filling in the ditch”). Being liberated from bondage (解脫結縛) refers to ending craving here; in AN 5.71, ending craving is likened to P. abbūḷhesika (“pulling up the pillar”). Finally, “planting the noble flag” (建立聖幢) here refers to ending self pride; in AN 5.71, ending self-conceit (P. asmimāno) is likened to P. pannaddhajo pannabhāro visaṁyutto (“lowered flag, burden set down, and unyoked”).
We can see from this comparison that these two texts appear to preserve some common set of analogies that have changed somewhat over time in each tradition. The meanings are more consistent than the analogies themselves. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 27 May 2024
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